Eight Panthers games will air national on ABC, TNT and ESPN, another 4 exclusively on ESPN+
With the new NHL season just over a month away, we're getting a clearer picture of how the national television schedule has been laid out.
On Thursday, TNT released its full slate of NHL games that will be nationally broadcast this season.
The Panthers will be featured in four of TNT’s 59 scheduled NHL broadcasts, not including three preliminary games from next February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Those four games all take place on the road, with most coming on the west coast.
They are Wednesday, Dec. 18 at Minnesota, Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Utah, Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Los Angeles and Sunday, April 6 at Detroit.
Additionally, the NHL also made changes to the start times of dozens of games on Thursday, including a few involving the Panthers.
Florida’s home game on Tuesday, Nov. 12 against New Jersey will now start at 7:30 p.m., moved from 7 p.m.
Another Panthers-Devils game, this one in New Jersey on Tuesday, Jan. 14, is also moving from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Stanley Cup Final rematch between Florida and Edmonton slated for Thursday, Feb. 27 in Sunrise was moved from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All three are expected to air on ESPN+, along with Florida’s game at Chicago on Thursday, Nov. 21, according to the Panthers full schedule on ESPN.com.
The schedule also shows Florida playing twice on ESPN – Opening Night against Boston on Oct. 8 and Jan. 16 against Detroit – and twice on ABC – Jan 11 vs. Boston and Feb 1. Against Chicago.
Both ABC games are on a Saturday and begin at 1 p.m. while the two ESPN games begin at 7 p.m.
All 70 of the Panthers locally produced games will air on Scripps Sports over-the-air stations. In South Florida, West Palm Beach and the Naples/Fort Myers area.
This all shows how far the franchise has come.
There will be 12 Panthers games broadcast to national audiences this season.
Not too shabby.
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